England hit back against South Africa

Ashley Giles provided England’s weary attack with some timely encouragement after they battled through their test of their endurance to land some telling blows on South Africa in the third Test.

Condemned to the field after Michael Vaughan’s 16th lost toss in 22 Tests as captain, England once again faced an uphill struggle.

But the tourists stuck to their task admirably and by the close were rewarded for their efforts by left-arm spinner Giles claiming two key wickets to limit South Africa to a challenging but by no means commanding total of 247 for four.

Giles provided 24 determined overs and claimed the crucial scalps of South African captain Graeme Smith and Boeta Dippenaar, who had returned to the side after missing the previous Test with a knee injury, to prevent South Africa racing to a far more daunting total.